Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

"...…"

"...…"

Shepard and the larva stared at each other, neither speaking for a moment.

What is this thing? Why did Fang Zheng give it to me?

Shepard couldn't figure it out. She remembered clearly that Fang Zheng had said to open this box if she encountered difficulties. Initially, Shepard thought it would contain some sort of secret weapon or something. But... what is this?

If it were a regular woman, just seeing the larva would likely make her scream directly. However, Shepard was a battle-hardened Ironblood female warrior. She had seen even more disgusting things in the universe, so the worm wasn't much to her, just... how should this be handled?

"Commander!"

Just when Shepard was racking her brain, Kaiden's voice suddenly came from outside the door. Hearing her subordinate's call, Shepard shook her head to dismiss her doubts, then picked up the box lid and snapped it shut, stood up with the box, and opened the door, where Kaiden was staring at her nervously.

"Are you alright, Commander?"

"I'm fine, get ready, we're leaving."

With that, Shepard tossed the box she was holding to Kaiden.

"Here, hold onto this."

"What is this?"

"Birthday cake!"

Facing Kaiden's inquiry, Shepard rolled her eyes, then picked up her gun and strode outside. Kaiden, stunned for a moment, quickly followed with the box.

"You're amazing, Commander. How did you know today is my birthday...?"

The battle continued.

Once Shepard and her team had left the wreckage of the Normandy, they immediately moved toward the nearest command post. But the Reapers were clearly prepared; their first wave of attacks had directly destroyed all of the Star Alliance's key facilities, making it impossible for Shepard to contact other armies. Luckily, as a famous Citadel Ghost, she managed to gather some scattered soldiers along the way and finally found a place to settle down under the cover of night.

However…

"This is simply a nightmare."

Looking at the burning city outside, Anderson sighed wearily. He had originally hoped Shepard could leave Earth to seek reinforcements elsewhere. But unexpectedly, Shepard's Normandy was also shot down. This was terrible—the Normandy was the top warship created jointly by the Star Alliance and Turian forces. With even this ship taken down by the Reapers, where else could the Star Alliance find another warship?

Speaking of which, are there any usable warships left on Earth now?

"They attacked Star Alliance Headquarters, the command center, and spared even the fleet's command base. As you said, Shepard, these creatures came prepared. Honestly, I originally wanted you to seek support, but..."

Looking out the window, Anderson shook his head helplessly, while Shepard, standing beside him, furrowed her brow before hesitating and then speaking.

"Lieutenant General Anderson, actually, there's something I want to report to you."

"What is it?"

"You remember previously you ordered me to investigate the mysterious force coming from the Nomadic Galaxy?"

"Oh... you mean Heavenly Dao Palace... Of course, I know about it. What about it?"

Anderson was certainly familiar with it. After all, a force daring enough to silence the Citadel Council and leave them disgruntled was incredibly rare. Although Anderson was currently a councilor for the Citadel Council, he secretly found it quite satisfying.

"It's like this: at that time, I led them to the Citadel in accordance with the council's orders, but due to circumstances that arose during the journey, after resolving the Geth problem, I parted ways with them. Then, just now, I suddenly remembered that they gave me a gift before leaving, saying I could use it if I needed assistance."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, Anderson perked up immediately.

"What is it? Is it some kind of weapon?"

"...it's this."

".....What is this?"

Anderson was equally baffled as he looked at the probing larva in Shepard's box.

"I don't know either. From its appearance, it should be a worm..."

"So? This is the gift they gave you? Isn't this some kind of joke?"

"I think not..."

At this point, Shepard was also somewhat uncertain, but given the current situation, they had no choice but to try anything that might work.

"Then, how is this thing used? Are you supposed to eat it?"

"...I hope not..."

Looking at the larva coiled in the box, Shepard's hair stood on end—how on earth is this meant to be eaten? Grilled?

"Do you plan on using it?"

"I want to try, but General Anderson... I'm not sure if they're willing to help..."

Even though Shepard wasn't a politician, she understood that this wasn't a simple "brotherhood" agreement, but a matter involving two factions. Even if Heavenly Dao Palace was willing to assist, the Star Alliance would likely need to offer sufficient incentives to persuade them.

But Shepard didn't have this authority; she was merely a Citadel Ghost, capable but not authorized for such decisions.

In fact, neither did Anderson, as he was merely a lieutenant general.

As for those who did have the authority... unfortunately, the Reapers had taken them all out.

"...Let's give it a try."

Anderson hesitated for a moment and then gritted his teeth decisively.

"I'll take full responsibility. As you said, if this continues, humanity may be completely annihilated. In the face of this crisis, everything else is secondary. All we can hope for now is that the conditions from Heavenly Dao Palace aren't too demanding..."

Having said that, Anderson once again looked at the larva in the box in front of him.

"So, how do we use this thing?"

"......"

Well, this question brings us back to the starting point.

"Should we release it and see what happens?"

Shepard was still somewhat undecided, but given her understanding of Fang Zheng, the item sent must not be intended for consumption. So, she flipped open the box and placed the larva on the ground.

"Splat."

The larva landed on the ground with a splat, then began to slowly move like a snail, while Shepard and Anderson watched as it crawled towards a nearby garden. Then they saw a purple substance, resembling some type of strange moss, gradually spreading from the larva. The next moment, the larva curled up and a membrane enveloped it, turning it into what seemed like... an egg?

"......."

What kind of operation is this?

Watching the egg-like thing grow larger like a balloon, the two remained bewildered. When Shepard was about to scan the situation with her omni-tool, the egg suddenly cracked open with a loud "pop!" as a flat, insect-like creature emerged. It was roughly human-sized, with bat-like wings on its sides, and pincers reminiscent of a scorpion's...

"Are you sure they aren't planning to trouble you?"

Anderson was slightly uneasy now, as the creature didn't seem promising...

"I hope not..."

Shepard's tone was also uncertain, but what could she do? All she could do was watch.

Furthermore, Shepard noticed that as the bizarre insect moved, the strange moss beneath it seemed to be slowly spreading...

Then Shepard saw the bizarre insect swell rapidly and transform into a massive tumor, almost covering half the garden!

"...What do we do now?"

As he spoke, Anderson aimed his gun at the constantly writhing mass—well, it wasn't unreasonable for Anderson to be cautious, given the Swarm's appearance...

Understandable, understandable.

"No, let's wait a bit longer, I think Fang Zheng wouldn't deceive me..."

"Rat-a-tat-tat!!"

Just as Shepard stopped Anderson, a series of gunshots erupted, followed by shouts from outside.

"Enemy attack! Corpse Puppets!!"

Upon hearing this, the two exchanged a glance and quickly turned to rush outside.

No one noticed that in the garden, the "tumor" was growing bigger and bigger, bigger and bigger...